The battle to end Washington, D.C.’s controversial school voucher program is entering a critical phase.

A little background: The plan, pitched as an “experiment,” was initially authorized in 2004 for five years. Heavily promoted by the Bush administration, it passed the House of Representatives by a single vote six years ago on a night when many voucher opponents were away from the floor. Republicans held the vote open for more than 40 minutes to gather the necessary votes. It later cleared the Senate only as a result of a procedural move. Read more

The propaganda campaign on behalf of school vouchers in the District of Columbia is deplorable but relentless.

Yesterday, 70 or so parents, children and paid lobbyists rallied on behalf of the federally funded "D. C. Opportunity Scholarship" program in front of the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. Read more

Did you plan to make a contribution to Washington, D.C.'s Blessed Sacrament Elementary School? How about Muhammad University of Islam or First Rock Baptist Christian Church School?

Guess what? You already have.

Those three schools and 52 additional religious and other private schools in the District of Columbia were beneficiaries of the federally funded D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program during the current school year. Read more

Over the weekend, The Washington Times and The Washington Post ran opinion pieces on President-elect Barack Obama's search for a new school for his daughters.

The editorial page writers made an argument on behalf of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program—a federally funded pilot program that has given school vouchers to students to attend religious or other private schools instead of Washington, D.C.'s public schools. Read more